I have been raised eating meat my whole life. My dad, step dad, mom, grandpa, grandma were all hunters and lived off meat they have killed them selves. I have tried to go vegan/vegetarian two times. I tried both time for about 3 months and both time I had head aches all day, and near the end, both time, I started shaking. So who the hell do you think you are calling us selfish and ignorant. I do not agree with "chicken farms," or harming animals for no cause, but you went over the top. I have tried to stop, because once I thought that it was wrong to kill animals for food, but I did my research and found WE WERE MADE TO EAT MEAT! MEAT IS HEALTHY! I'm not telling you to start eating meat! Being vegan is great. But don't go around calling names when you don't know the other point of view.

I'm not sure why it said I'm on the pro side because i'm against eating meat so i'll just assume it got mixed up. Well from a personal perspective, i love animals and don't wish to cause them suffering. I could never kill an animal so why would i pay someone to do that for me? It would be hypocritical of me and major cognitive dissonance. I can't even kill a fly. I respect all life, I think it's a wonderful amazing thing so why would I unnecessarily take another creatures life?

The meat industry as it is now is having major negative effects on the planet as well. Animals need a whole lot of grain/food to eat that is unsustainable given the small amount they give back in their meat. Technically world hunger could be solved if all that food was given to humans. They also require huge amounts of water which is unsustainable. Cattle grazing and the amount of feed they require is responsible for for 80% of deforestation in Brazil, a major environmental threat which is also endangering species. Oh and it's also responsible for the highest rates of slave labour in Brazil. As the Food and Agriculture Organisation state "Ranching-induced deforestation is one of the main causes of loss of some unique plant and animal species in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America as well as carbon release in the atmosphere." Yes indeed, animal farming and especially the methane emitted by cows contributes to global warming more than all of the transport in the world combined. Farm animals also produce a hell of a lot of waste which ends up polluting rivers. All of this could be avoided if humans stopped intensively farming animals. Tens of billions of them are bred every year for consumption and that goes up to hundreds of billions if you include fish and seafood. It's a massacre. No other animal on the planet (you know- true predators who NEED meat to survive) kills at the phenomenal rate humans do.

I was raised on a vegetarian diet, as was my sister and another guy I know. We are all still alive and healthy. Living breathing proof that you humans don't NEED meat to survive. I've been vegan for over a year now as well and I feel tons healthier. And I feel good knowing that nothing had to suffer or die for me to simply have a meal. Meat/dairy/egg products are also hella high in cholesterol and fat and is no doubt mainly responsible for the obesity crisis. Perhaps eating meat was more necessary at some points during our history (e.g. in the ice age) and still is in very isolated and cold places where crops can't be grown (e.g for the inuits). But come on... all this intensive farming, the sheer amount of animal products people eat in these Western nations, it's ludicrous. Completely unnecessary. And is having such a negative impact on people and the planet letalone the poor animals. As soon as they're born they're basically walking pieces of meat (that is if they are even allowed to walk), their worth is only as much as they can provide for humans, they are slaves, they have no freedom, and the date of their death is already planned. How is that natural or fair? They suffer. A lot. Billions of them. And for what? They don't even own their own bodies. It's disgusting. I believe every animal should be born free and with a chance at life.

It also annoys me a lot that the planet I have to live on is being destroyed and the animals I care about are being tortured and slaughtered. Where is my say? I hate it with a passion. I hate how destructive, selfish, and blind humans are. I love people but this is definitely a dark dark side to humanity.

Hey it's fine. I'm sorry if I came across harsh as well because I didn't read your argument beforehand, I didn't realise it was there. I'm not directly calling you ignorant and selfish- i don't think you are or that most people are (i think i was just ranting in a previous post)- and I respect that you tried going vegetarian. I guess as a whole i think the whole industry is ignorant and selfish- well most of it- but I think most people don't realise this. As much as I don't agree with hunting, I have more respect for people who go out and kill their own food than buy it prettily-packaged from some factory farm in the supermarket. So you have no heating and have to wear animal fur? I find that strange but I'll believe you.

And I just wanna say, if you did go vegetarian and felt worse for it you couldn't have been doing it properly. The fact is, you can get all the vitamins, minerals and protein you need from a vegan diet (and vegetarian because obviously you can still eat eggs and cheese although i wouldn't advise it). It would probably make you healthier because it wouldn't have all the drawbacks of animal protein. B12 is the only tricky bit but you can either take supplements or have nut milks/cereals/margarine and stuff that's often fortified with it. Sorry- I just wanted to put that out there because I don't want people thinking being veggie is unhealthy in any way.

Although I disagree with the commodification and killing of animals, and very passionately. I do respect you and your position. Thanks for talking with me :)

First off I want to apologize for how rude I was. I am sorry for not see your point of view more closely and exploding in the way that I did. I got offended when you call meat eaters "ignorant and selfish." I get what you are saying and I respect you so much for that. I do not agree with harming animals for sport, or that Brazil slave thing, but I feel that if you kill an animal and use all of the resources for that animal is is "okay." I am not an extreme hunter and I HATE the killing part, but I do it because I have 2 sisters and 7 brothers to feed. I do it because I live in a tiny apartment with no heater and we need the warmth from the fur. I'm not trying to get pity from you but I just want you to know I don't hunt for sport. I respect you and I'm sorry

Reasons for voting decision: Personal Opinion: Not altered.
Conduct: Pro had more professional conduct.
Spelling/Grammar: Con's English contained many errors.
Arguments: Pro had the most relevant and convincing arguments that were heavily supported.
Sources: Pro was the only one to use legitimate sources.
Great job, jazz90.

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